Ghana refuses to accept deported citizens, faces US visa sanctions

- The Department of Homeland Security and Department of State have ordered visa sanctions on Ghana

- Ghana was sanctioned because it has not accepted its deported citizens from the US

- The US said it will not lift up the visa restriction until the Ghanaian government changes its stance

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in collaboration with Department of State has announced on Thursday, January 31, visa sanctions on Ghana because the country has failed to accept its deported citizens from the United States.

Acting account to the law contained under section 243(d) of the Immigration and National Act (INA), the secretary of homeland security, Kirstjen Nielsen informed Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state that Ghana has unnecessarily delayed in accepting its deported citizens, Homeland Security reports.

As a result of the delay, Pompeo therefore ordered by law the US consular officers in the country to restrict visa applications, however, the sanction only affect some types of visas.

It was gathered that the sanctions will not be lifted until Ghanaian government has accepted the citizens that were removed from the US.

Nielsen said: “Ghana has failed to live up to its obligations under international law to accept the return of its nationals ordered removed from the United States.

“The United States routinely cooperates with foreign governments in documenting and accepting U.S. citizens when asked, as appropriate, as do the majority of countries in the world, but Ghana has failed to do so in this case. We hope the Ghanaian government will work with us to reconcile these deficiencies quickly.”